Fabrication of chain wire fencing incorporating slats

ABSTRACT

As chain link fencing is fabricated in a step-by-step manner, wood slats are automatically inserted into the flattened wire coils that extend transversely of the fencing to result in a fence structure that is especially suitable for dividing highways. Instead of anchoring the slats in place by staples, the present invention teaches captivating the slats in the transverse coils by bending wire ends of the fencing across the opposite ends of the flattened coils to block the paths of escape of the slats.

[Hi 3,810,496 [4 1 May 14, 1974 1 FABRICATION OF CHAIN WIRE FENCING INCORPORATING SLATS [75] Inventor: Herbert E. Rohrbacher, Whittier,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Bergandi Manufacturing Company,

]l ne., El Monte, Calif.

[22] Filed: Mar.'5, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 16,810

[52] U.S. Cl. 140/25, 140/24 [51] Int. Cl. B211 29/02, B21f 27/14 [58] Field of Search 140/24, 25, 30, 33, 34,

[56] I I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 475,598 5/1892 McPherson 245/11 Rohrbacher l40/92.7 Doring l40/92.7

Primary ExaminerLowell A. Larson Attorney, Agent, or FirmSmyth, Roston & Pavitt [5 7 ABSTRACT As chain link fencing is fabricated in a step-by-step manner, wood slats are automatically inserted into the flattened wire coils that extend transversely of the fencing to result in a fence structure that is especiallv suitable for dividing highways. Instead of anchoring theslats in place by staples, the present invention teaches captivating the slats in the transverse coils by bending wire ends of the fencing across the opposite ends of the flattened coils to block the paths of escape of the slats.

I 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the commonly practiced method of fabricating chain wire fencing as disclosed in the Bergandi US. Pat. No. 2,625,961 and in the Bergandi et al. US. Pat. No. 3,144,887, .two coils of wire are wound simultaneously on a revolving mandrel with the two coils interlinked as they are formed and then the interlinked coils are advanced into interlinking engagement with previously formed coils of the completed fencing. I

As such woven wire fencing is viewed edgewise along a longitudinal side edge, the individual flattened coils of the interlinked series of coils are seen to form transverse passages that are open at both side edges of the fencing. It has been found that inserting slats into these transverse passages results in a fence structure that is especially useful for dividing highways since the slats are effective to cut off the glare of headlights of oncoming cars. Because of this special utility the demand for fencing incorporating slats has become widespread.

The earliest procedure for incorporating slats into chain wire fencing required periodic stopping of the wire weaving machine to permit several feet of the finished fencing to be stretched out on a floor to permit workman to insert the slats by hand while the weaving machine is idle.

The Rohrbacher U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,254, which is hereby incorporated into the present invention disclosure by reference. discloses a more recent method of incorporating the slats in chain wire fencing without the necessity of sacrificing production by periodically stopping the wire weaving machine. In the operation of the Rohrbacher apparatus, the fencing is advanced interm'ittently from the initial wire weaving station and subsequently moves in a horizontal path past a slat station where pairs of slats are inserted during the normal pauses'in the intermittent advance of the fencing. As soon as a pair of slats is correctly positioned in a pair of the flat coils of the fencing, automatic stapling mechanisms permanently secure the slats in place by automatically stapling the slats to wires of the fencing.

Although the use of automatically actuated stapling mechanisms does serve the purpose of anchoring the slats, nevertheless certain disadvantages are involved. In the first place, the stapling mechanisms must be repeatedly replenished with staples. In the second place, if one of the stapling mechanisms fails to function properly, that fact is not readily discovered and it may be necessary to remedy the situation by applying staples by hand to several feet of the finished fencing. In the third place, there is always the possibility that the staples will split the slats.

The broad object of the present invention is to provide a new method of holding the slats in their assembled positions that does not require the use of staples and thus eliminates the above mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION twisted together and are then cut off to form knuckles at the successive wire joints. The fencing then advances to a third station which is the slat station where pairs of slats are inserted into the pairs of successive transverse coils of the fencing during pauses inthe advance of the fencing. At the slat station a magazine holds two stacks of slats side-by-side and periodically pusher elements on an endless sprocket chain push a pair of slats endwise from the magazine into the transverse coil. Finally, the fencing with the slats therein pauses at a fourth station where the slats are stapled to the fencing.

In the preferred practice of the present invention, the fencing advances from the first weaving station directly to the slat station where the pairs of slats are inserted and then the fencing advances to a third and final sta tion where the crossed wire ends at the opposite side edges of the fencing are formed into loops which extend across the open ends of the pair of coils and thus block the paths of escape of the slats from'the coils to permanently captivate the slats.'Thus the invention reduces the operating stations from four to three and makes it possible to eliminate stapling of the slats simply by modifying the wire twisting operation to captivat e the slats.

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, which are to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIG. 'I is a fragmentary perspective view of an embodiment of the new fencing;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged edge view of the fencing as seen along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 showing how a pair of looped wire ends of the fencing overhang ends of a corresponding pair of slats;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fregmentary elevation of the finished fencing as seen along the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary schematic perspective view showing the construction of mechanism at the third station for forming the ends of the wires into loops for captivation of the slats;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the wire-bending mandrels;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a pair of the wire-bending mandrels at an intermediate point in the operation of looping a pair of wire ends;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a later point in the operation of looping the pair of wire ends; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view indicating how a back-up member cooperates with a pair of wirebending mandrels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED PRACTICE OF THE INVENTION FIG. l is a perspective view of a portion of the finished wire fencing showing how a series of transverse slats 10 are mounted in corresponding flattened transverse wire coils 12 of the fencing and showing how pairs of interlinked wire ends are formed into loops M that overhang the ends of corresponding slats 10 to keep the slats from escaping endwise from the flattened I wire coils. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two wire ends of each pair of wire ends are interlinked as indicated at and the end loops l4 lie snugly against the ends of the slats.

It may be seen in FIG. 2 that each of the loops 14 is of the same dimension as the corresponding coil 12 as measured perpendicularly of the plane of the fencing.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically the construction of the mechanism at the third station where the pairs of wire ends are formed into loops at the opposite edges of the fencing to captivate the slats. Prior to the advance of the fencing to the third station, a pair of interlinked wire coils 12 have been formed at the first weaving station and at a second station a pair of slats 10 have been inserted into the pair of coils through the open ends thereof. As indicated in FIG. 4 the two wires that form a pair of coils simply cross each other at their ends to form a pair of diverging wire ends 16, the diverging wire ends being at the positions they assume at the first weaving station. It can be seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 that the two slats of each pair are spaced apart to form a gap 18 and that the point at which a pair of diverging wire ends 16 cross each other is in alignment with the transverse gap.

Conversion of the divergent wire ends 16 shown in FIG. 4 to the slat-confining loops 14 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 requires, first, that the divergent wire ends be bent back to the planes defined by the opposite ends of the slats and further that the bent back wire ends be formed into the required loops for captivating the slat ends. These two operations may be performed in sequence but in the preferred practice of the invention both of the operations are performed simultaneously. In other words the outwardly divergent wire ends 16 are bent back and turned into loop configurations in one operation.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically the essential working parts of the mechanism for bending the wire ends at the right hand side edge of the fencing and shows a portion of the duplicate mechanism that functions at the left hand edge of the apparatus. each of the two mechanisms includes two rotary forming heads and 21 which are positioned side-by-side and which are in the form of gears which are driven in opposite rotary directions by a third gear 22.

Each of the two forming heads 20 and 21 has a short axially extending mandrel 24 and a short longitudinally extending pin 26 that is spaced radially from the mandrel. As may be seen in FIG. 4, the two pins are 180 out of phase with each other for reasons which will be-' come apparent. Each of the two mechanisms further includes an upright back-up finger 26 which is normally downwardly retracted and which moves upward through the gap 18 between the two slats adjacent the intersection of the divergent wire ends 16 to keep the point of intersection of the two divergent wire ends from shifting inwardly in response to the forces involved in the forming of the wire ends into the slatconfining loops.

In the cycle of operation of each of the two mechanisms, the back-up finger 26 of the mechanisms is briefly extended upward behind the corresponding intersection of the wire ends as indicated in FIG. 8 and the two forming heads 20 and 21 are advanced axially simultaneously to cause the mandrels 24 and pins 25 of the forming heads to straddle the corresponding outwardly extending wire ends 16, the continued advance of the two forming heads causing the divergent wire ends to be bent back to the region of the outer ends of the two slats. As the two forming heads advance to their limit positions and thus bend back the two divergent wire ends 16, the two forming heads rotate in opposite directions for the final purpose of forming the slat-retaining wire loops 14. If desired, however,'the loop-forming rotation of the two forming heads may be delayed until the completion of their advance.

FIGS. 6 and 8 show the positions of the two mandrels 24 and the two associated pins 25 at which the mandrels and pins initially straddle the corresponding divergent wire ends 16. FIG. 7 shows the result of the first 120 of rotation of the two forming heads'and it can be seen that the orbital movement of the two pins 25 curves the two wire ends around thw two mandrels 24. The two forming heads rotate through a total range of 180 or slightly more to complete the formation of the desired loops 14.

Any suitable means may be employed to carry out the operating cycle which includes the upward advance of the finger 26 to back up the wire ends at their intersection and which includes the axial advance and rotation of the two forming heads 20 and 21. For example, the actuating mechanism may be of the construction indicated in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 4 a motor 28 and an associated gear box 30 drive a main shaft 32 which extends transversely of the fencing and actuates the two wire forming mechanisms at the opposite longitudinal edges of the fencing. Suitable control means (not shown) causes one complete rotation of the drive shaft 32 during each pause in the intermittent advance .of the progressive fabricated fencing. To operate each of the two mechanisms, a corresponding sprocket 34 on the main drive shaft 32 is connected by a sprocket chain 35 with a sprocket 36 on a countershaft 38 to cause the countershaft to 1'0- tate in unison with the main drive shaft.

To cause the required periodic upward extension and downward retraction of the back-up finger 26 of the mechanism, the back-up finger which is of rectangular cross section is slidingly mounted in a fixed rectangular guide sleeve 39 adjacent a heart-shaped cam 40. The back-up finger 26 carries a cam follower in the form of a roller 42 which rides on the peripheral surface of the cam and which is held in pressure contact with the cam by a tension spring 44 acting between the back-up finger and the guide sleeve 39. Starting with the position of the cam 40 shown in FIG. 4, one revolution of the cam causes the back-up finger to extend upward to its effective position and then to retract to its starting position.

The two forming heads 20 and 21 are suitably journalled in a smallrectangular housing 45 on a platform 46 that is free to reciprocate as indicated by the double arrows 48, and a short shaft 50 that carries the third gear 22 is journalled in the same housing. The short shaft 50 carries a gear 52 which meshes with a gear 54 on the end of a shaft 55. The shaft 55 is journalled in a sleeve 56 which is supported by a bracket 58 on the movable platform 46. The shaft 55 is driven by a tubular shaft 60 which slidingly telescopes over the shaft 55 and is keyed thereto in a manner which permits relative. axial movement between thetwo shafts. The tubular shaft 60 is journalled in a fixed bearing 62 which holds the tubular shaft against axial movement and which is mounted on a fixed housing 64. By virtue of this arthroughout the range of reciprocation of the platform 46.

A suitable follower 65 fixedly extending downward from the platform 46 cooperates with a cam 66 that is carried by the previously mentioned countershaft 38 and a suitable tension spring 68 acting between the fol lower and the fixed housing 64 holds the follower against the cam and thus causes the platform to be reciprocated by the cam.

Th'etubular shaft 60 which is effective to rotate the two forming heads and 21, carries a pinion 70 which is in mesh with a gear segment 72 that is mounted on a stub shaft 74, the stub shaft being journalled in a sleeve 75 on the fixed housing 64. A crank pin 76 on the gear segment 72 is connected by a link 78 to a crank 80 on the previously mentioned countershaft 38.

The mode of operation of each of the two wire forming mechanisms may be readily understood from the foregoing description. When each of the two countershafts 38 makes acomplete revolution during a pause in the intermittent advanceof the fencing, the corresponding heart-shaped cam 40 reciprocates the backup finger 26 at the desired timing and the cam 66 advances the platform 46 to cause the desired advance of the two forming heads 20 and 21. At the same time crank 80 on the countershaft '38 actuates gear segment 72 to causethe desired opposite rotations of the two forming heads.

My description in specific detail of the selected embodiment of the invention will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. In an apparatus for fabricating chain link fencing with lateral slats incorporated therein, the combination of: r

means to form successive lengths of wire into successive interlinked coils extending transversely of the fencing with the successive coils interlinked and with the successive coils divided into pairs with the opposite ends of the wires of the pairs of coils crossing each other at points at the juncture of the pair of coils and with the opposite ends of the pairs of wires extending outwardly beyond the crossing points;

means to insert pairs of slats endwise into the successive pairs of coils;

means to bend the crossed opposite end portions of the wires across the open ends of the pairs of coils to captivate the slats in the coils;

two back-up means adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges respectively of the progressively forming fencing; 1

means to insert each of said back-up means temporarily into the fencing adjacent the two crossing points respectively and inwardly thereof to cooperate with said bending means, said bending means including: two pairs of rotary forming heads side by side adjacent the two longitudinal edges respectively of the cludes two cams driven by said actuating means to advance and retract the two pairs of forming heads, respectively. I

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2 which includes:

two cranks driven by said actuating means;

two gear means operatively connected to said cranks respectively for actuation thereby; and two pinions in mesh with said two gear means respectively for rotation in opposite directions in response to oscillation of the gear means, each of said pinion means being operatively connected to the corresponding pair of forming heads for actuation thereof. 7

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which each of said two cams and the corresponding crank are mounted on a common shaft for rotation in unison.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 3 which includes two cams driven by said actuating means to insert and retract the two back-up means respectively.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5 which includes two shafts driven by said actuating means, each of said shafts carrying the corresponding crank means as well as the corresponding cam means to-advance and retract the corresponding pair of rotary means, each of the two shafts also carrying the corresponding cam to insert and retract the corresponding back-up means. 

1. In an apparatUs for fabricating chain link fencing with lateral slats incorporated therein, the combination of: means to form successive lengths of wire into successive interlinked coils extending transversely of the fencing with the successive coils interlinked and with the successive coils divided into pairs with the opposite ends of the wires of the pairs of coils crossing each other at points at the juncture of the pair of coils and with the opposite ends of the pairs of wires extending outwardly beyond the crossing points; means to insert pairs of slats endwise into the successive pairs of coils; means to bend the crossed opposite end portions of the wires across the open ends of the pairs of coils to captivate the slats in the coils; two back-up means adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges respectively of the progressively forming fencing; means to insert each of said back-up means temporarily into the fencing adjacent the two crossing points respectively and inwardly thereof to cooperate with said bending means, said bending means including: two pairs of rotary forming heads side by side adjacent the two longitudinal edges respectively of the progressively forming fencing with leading ends of the two rotary forming heads confronting the edges of the fencing, each of said forming heads being shaped to straddle the corresponding end of a wire; actuating means to rotate the advanced pairs of rotary means to bend the straddled ends of wires; amd means to retract the pairs of rotary means after the ends of the wires are bent.
 2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 which includes two cams driven by said actuating means to advance and retract the two pairs of forming heads, respectively.
 3. A combination as set forth in claim 2 which includes: two cranks driven by said actuating means; two gear means operatively connected to said cranks respectively for actuation thereby; and two pinions in mesh with said two gear means respectively for rotation in opposite directions in response to oscillation of the gear means, each of said pinion means being operatively connected to the corresponding pair of forming heads for actuation thereof.
 4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which each of said two cams and the corresponding crank are mounted on a common shaft for rotation in unison.
 5. A combination as set forth in claim 3 which includes two cams driven by said actuating means to insert and retract the two back-up means respectively.
 6. A combination as set forth in claim 5 which includes two shafts driven by said actuating means, each of said shafts carrying the corresponding crank means as well as the corresponding cam means to advance and retract the corresponding pair of rotary means, each of the two shafts also carrying the corresponding cam to insert and retract the corresponding back-up means. 